By Akintunde Adegboye, Oshogbo Arts Academy, Post Express (Lagos), 2 August
2000. The ancient city of Osogbo awaits this year's
annual Osun Festival. As old as Osogbo itself, it
started in the 18th Century to commemorate the
pact between Osun goddess and Oba Laroye, the founder of
Osogbo, if people continue to worship her. Osogbo became
immortalised as a result of her magical powers and the
love of children.

Christianity

By Nwaobia Chigbu, Post
Express (Lagos), 9 September 2000. The Pentecostal
Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), the umbrella organisation of
Pentecostal churches in the country, has concluded plans
to begin a legal action against states operating the
sharia system in the country. More than prayers needed to
combat Islamic law.

By Ben Duru, Post Express
(Lagos), 14 September 2000. The bishop maintained that the
human head found inside his church premises was not used
for ritual purposes but was brought by one of his
worshippers who had denounced occultism. The bishop had
been imprisoned during the Otokoto uprising in 1996 as a
resulting of beheadings by ritualists. He claims to have
learned his lesson from that.

By Babs Bello, P.M. News
(Lagos), 30 October 2000. General Overseer of the
London-based Kingsway International Christian Centre,
Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo has blamed the recent ethnic
clashes across the country on Satan. Satanic forces bent
on stifling the country's development.

By Anthony Okoro, P.M. News
(Lagos), 13 November 2000. The prophet Samuel Wole
offered to liberate a believer from the grips of his
enemies. He was taken to a river bank where he had several
baptisms and the Bible was put on the ground and suddenly,
a voice echoed from nowhere conversing with the priest and
his 'catch'. The victim then was extorted of
money.

By Joseph Aimienmwona, Post
Express (Lagos), 16 January 2001. Of all the
churches known for the liberation of souls from the
kingdom of darkness, the Synagogue Church of All Nations
perhaps, has excelled as multitudes of souls afflicted
with demonic scourge besiege the church daily in search of
deliverance.

By Abdulateef Ottan, The News
(Lagos), 10 September 2001. As Nigerians fall over one
another to become instant millionaires through phantom
investment schemes, a pastor bolts with N250
million. Pastor Samuel Power has everything a city pastor
needs to attract money: good looks, designer clothes,
Spirit-led prophecies and above all, an ability to relate
the scriptures to the earthly needs of the city
dweller.

Islam

BBC, 15 October 2001. Kano state, which has seen the
latest sectarian violence between Christians and Muslims,
is one of a number of northern states which extended the
scope of Islamic law last year. The sharia is now
practised, to a greater or lesser degree, in ten states
and has exacerbated differences between the predominately
Christian south and the Islamic north.